


No Matter How Perfect the Day

by Walutahanga



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Angst, Consequences, F/M, Gen, Non-Romantic Imprinting, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Politics, Post-Breaking Dawn, Post-Finale, Unhappy Ending, actions have consequences, what the hell hero
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 10:23:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11206104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Walutahanga/pseuds/Walutahanga
Summary: Once upon a time Bella Swann believed in fate. She’d believed with all her heart.Now she knows better.If there is such a thing as fate, it cares little for the schemes of mortals or immortals. It is an inevitable force that crushes human, vampire and shapeshifter alike.(After the Happily Ever After, where undermining the dominant power structure has a price, parenting isn't easy, and nothing is quite how you imagined it)





	No Matter How Perfect the Day

Once upon a time Bella Swann believed in fate. She'd believed with all her heart.

If her mother hadn't remarried, Bella would never have come to Forks or met Edward. If Jacob hadn't fallen in love with Bella, he'd never imprinted on Renesmee and thereby bring true peace between the Cullens and the Pack. It had all seemed so logical in her mind. There was pain and fighting and uncertainty, of course, but it was all for a _reason_. 

Now she knows better. 

If there is such a thing as fate, it cares little for the schemes of mortals or immortals. It is an inevitable force that crushes human, vampire and shapeshifter alike. 

"Bella, they're here." Edward says softly behind her. 

"I know," Bella says, not moving from where she stands in the kitchen doorway, watching Renesmee. "Give me a moment."  

Her daughter is putting together a three-dimensional puzzle that had been a gift from Rosalie. Her small fingers carefully pick out each individual piece and slide it unerringly into place. A few red curls have escaped from her plait and her tongue is caught between her teeth in concentration. As of yesterday she is two and a half years old, which puts her physically somewhere between six and nine.

"Bella," Edward says again. His voice is soft and pained. "The Volturi will come at sunset. We have to do this now."  

He's right, Bella knows. It's still difficult to raise her voice and call: "Renesmee, it's time. Get your jacket." 

Rensemee abandons her puzzle to run upstairs. Her light footsteps echo in the nearly-empty house. Everyone else has already gone. Esme and Carlisle departed for Italy weeks ago with Alice and Jasper, while Rosalie and Emmett started north yesterday for the Alaskan wilds. 

Edward kisses Bella's knuckles in wordless apology. Hand in hand, they walk downstairs to the living room.

Jacob is waiting patiently, his hands shoved into his pockets, while Leah is pacing uneasily from one side of the room to the other. She stops as the two vampires arrive. The shapeshifters' clothes are slightly crumpled, their feet bare, indicating they'd run here in wolf form. Underneath the faint scent of denim and motorcycle grease and soap lies the earthier odours of wolf and pine forest. They seem somehow out of place in the living room, like a splash of bold colour against a sterile white background.

"Edward," Jacob greets them. "Bella." His gentleness nearly breaks her. 

"I packed her bag," she says, holding it out. "The birth certificate's in there and numbers for bank accounts too. One in Jacob's name, and one in Renesmee's, for when she's an adult. You'll have authority so just contact the lawyer..." She realises she's babbling, repeating things they've already spoken of, and her words peter into silence.  

"We'll take care of it," Leah says. Her hand hovers indecisively over Bella's for a moment before closing around the bag strap and hefting it over one shoulder. Her face is stiff with discomfort that Bella knows is reflected in her own.

She and Leah have never gotten along, but their relationship hadn't gone seriously downhill until last year when Jacob and Leah announced they were moving in together. Bella, who hadn't been aware they were dating, hadn't taken it well. She'd said some things that made her cringe now to remember. Things about Jacob leading Leah on or Leah luring him into it, and it all being doomed to fail because he'd obviously marry Renesme oneday. Jacob had been horrified. _"I'm_ _whatever Nessie wants me to be,"_ he'd said. _"_ _All she wants from me is an older brother. And I'm glad!"_

Ironically it was Edward, once Jacob's bitter rival, that mediated the argument and prevented the rift being permanent. Jacob had eventually forgiven Bella, but Leah hadn't. 

"I'm giving you the Aston," Edward says, tossing a set of keys to Jacob. "It has a full tank and the registration's in your name, in case you need to go quickly."

"I wouldn't bother," Jacob shrugs. "If the Volturi come to La Push, my pack can make it out faster on foot. And we wouldn't leave our people anyway."

"Just preparing for all eventualities."  

"You think Aro would break his word?" 

"I think he could find a way around it if he decided to. But I doubt he will. He has too many other problems and he is...interested in preserving your people." 

Leah snorts. "Yeah, because he wants some fucking guard dogs. Let him try." 

"He might," Edward says simply. "Be careful." 

There's a patter of footsteps as Rensemee runs light-footed down the stairs, jumping the last flight to land easily on the living room matt. She needs to learn to keep displays like that to a minimum, Bella thinks, and recalls with a wrench that it will not be her and Edward teaching her from now on.

"I'm ready!" Rensmee says, going up to Jacob, all smiles. "Can we go now?" 

Does Jacob know how that hurts Bella, that her daughter goes to him first? 

He kneels down to Rensemee's height. "In a minute, Nessie. You need to say good-bye to your parents first. It might be the l... it might be a long time until you see them again." 

"Okay." Rensmee comes over to wrap her arms about Bella's waist. "Good-bye mother. I will miss you." It's a formal little statement, the sort of thing you say to friendly-but-not close acquaintances that are leaving. 

"I love you," Bella says, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead, who replies carelessly: 

"I love you too, mother." 

Bella wonders, not for the first time, if Renesmee truly does.

As Renesmee has grown older, she's grown increasingly distant from her vampire family. She stopped drinking blood a few months ago, preferring a diet of human food. She started asking to spend more time at the Res or Charlie's house, among "real" people. Rosalie dismissed it as a phase. Edward has been conspicuously silent on the matter.

On the advice of a book, Bella tried to find other common ground with her daughter and was dismayed to find very little. Renesme can quote literature from memory, but she has no thoughts on it. She prefers books about facts, about measurable effects and quantifiable facts. Biology fascinates her, particularly her own. She wants to know how and why and when. Frequently Bella finds her knowledge not up to task. While her mind can measure time and distances with unerring automatic accuracy, general knowledge is something she simply doesn't possess, to Renesmee's frustration.

Caught in a dead end, Bella tried doing as her own mother did, taking Renesmee shopping to bond over girly things. Except Renesmee has no patience for that either.

_"_ _What would be the point?"_ She'd said impatiently.

_"_ _For fun,"_ Bella had tried and gotten a withering look in return.

_"_ _Useless things aren't fun."_

Bella had felt only a little vindicated that Renesme rejected Alice's efforts as well, to the point of throwing out a whole wardrobe and having a screaming tantrum because Alice replaced her favourite t-shirt without asking.

_"_ _You're not real!"_ She'd screamed. " _None of you are real! You're just dolls dressed up and playing house. You don't actually_ do _anything!"_

She'd apologised later, but the words had stuck and lodged in Bella's perfect vampire memory, preserved for all eternity.

Renesmee squirms out of Bella's arms to go to Edward and say the same perfunctionary words of farewell. He does not try to hug her, just lays a hand on her hair and looks into her eyes.  

"Good-bye Rensmee," he says seriously. "I regret I could not do better by you." She nods, equally serious. 

"You don't need to worry, father. Jacob and Leah will take care of me." 

He kisses her hair and lets her go back to Jacob without further fanfare. Perhaps Edward has the right idea. He doesn't try to hold onto his daughter. He treats her as a small adult, respecting her boundaries. Already she has slipped her hand into Jacob's and is holding the corner of Leah's coat, eager to be off. 

"Thank you," Bella says to Jacob. "And I'm sorry. For everything."  

He looks as if he's fighting back tears. "Me too."

The moment is interrupted by the opening and closing of the front door. Edward and Bella turn to face the approaching footsteps. Leah has swept Rensmee onto her back, Jacob stepping in front of his girlfriend, the air suddenly heavier with the scent of wolf.

"No need to rush, my dear ones."

Bella stiffens at that familiar voice. Aro enters, not a hair out of place. Jane follows silently in his wake, along with Demitri and another vampire she doesn't recognise.

"Aro," Edward says, and Bella can hear the slight wavering in his voice as he desperately tries to hold onto his composure and placate Aro at once. "It's not yet sunset." 

"Of course. Forgive my impatience. I simply wanted to be aware of any last minute changes of plan." From his benevolent tone, you would think Aro was here as a personal favour. 

"Nothing has changed. We were simply saying good-bye to our daughter."

"Yes, the lovely Renesmee." Aro smiles in the direction of the shapeshifters. "You have grown, my dear, just as Nahuel said. I am glad to see he was not lying."

Jacob growls under his breath and Leah bares her teeth, correctly interpreting the implicit threat of what would happen if Nahuel had been lying. Renesmee peers curiously over Leah's shoulder. 

"We were almost done," Bella says, trying to draw the conversation to safer venues. "If you will give us a moment, we can all be on our way." 

"Of course." Aro gestures kindly. "Don't mind me. Say what you must." He doesn't move, making it clear he is not going anywhere. His followers peer distastefully about the Cullens' living room. Jane rolls her eyes at a family photo and Demetri snickers.

Bella tries to ignore them, turning back to Jacob. There is so much she has yet to say, but not with Aro drinking in every word. She'd rather cut out her own tongue than let him hear any final messages for her all-too-human parents or friends in Forks. She's said all her good-byes already, offered what inadequate explanations she could to Charlie's hurt and concern. It will have to be enough. 

"Say good-bye to the pack for me," she says finally. "And please thank the elders for their patience over the past few years. They have been very gracious and we have not been the easiest of neighbours." 

"I'll pass it on," Jacob promises, then looks at Aro. "Where will you take them?" He asks, indicating Bella and Edward. Demetri sneers, but Aro appears to take the question seriously, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"A number of places. The Cullens' little demonstration stirred up all manner of trouble. There are reports of new Immortal Children in Europe, not to mention covens all over the world who have decided they no longer need to maintain any kind of discretion. We must be swift and thorough if we are to keep our kind's existence a secret... Though Asia may have to fend for itself for the moment, as it appears the Children of the Moon are not as extinct as we believed."  

That last one throws Jacob just enough to ease back on the hostility. Leah shifts her weight uneasily.  

"The werewolves?" She says, like she doesn't want to ask but can't help herself. 

"Yes, your errant counterparts have been quite busy it seems. While in hiding they were building their numbers and our loss of face provided the perfect opportunity to strike. The Volturi may lose the East entirely before all is said and done." Aro pauses and adds with patently false sweetness: "In the interests of limiting bloodshed, we might eventually be in need of a... diplomat, shall we say. A neutral third party that could arbitrate an agreement. The Volturi would be most appreciative of such services." 

"We're not neutral," Leah says snappishly. "We were born and bred to kill vampires. That's you, if I wasn't clear." 

 "And that, my dear, is precisely why the Children of the Moon would give weight to your words while tearing any other envoy apart." Aro's tone drops to a silky hiss as he adds: "I might also point out, in the interests of fairness, that it was _your_ kind's alliance with the Cullens that led to this chaos we are all now burdened with cleaning up." 

Leah has nothing to say to that. None of them do. 

_How were we supposed to know?_ Bella wants to say. _How were we supposed to know that standing up to the Volturi would inspire such bloodshed?_ All they'd wanted was to protect Rensmee.

But the truth was they _had_ known. The Romanians had been explicit with their intentions, relishing the prospect of destroying the Volturi's reputation. And Edward had told Bella time and time again how only fear of the Volturi kept vampires in check. They'd just been so afraid for Renesmee they hadn't given thought to the inevitable consequences.

Bella can't claim she'd have done any different, not with her daughter at stake, but she wishes had been aware of the gravity of her decisions. Perhaps then she might have had some warning of the fate rumbling on the horizon and wouldn't have been so shocked when her tidy happy ending unravelled between her fingers.

"Now, now," Aro says jovially. "Do not be downcast, my dears. Your coven has agreed to help fix this mess. With your Gifts in our ranks, we shall make it clear to the masses that we stand as one. I am confident that once these uprisings are dealt with, the Volturi will be more powerful than ever." 

"Yes, Aro," Edward says, his tone hollow. Then; "Jacob, don't forget the car. It's downstairs in the garage."  

Jacob takes the hint and moves to cover Leah as she carries Renesme down the stairs. Bella's last glimpse of her daughter is her clinging to Leah's shoulders like a cat, craning to look back at her parents. Jacob pauses on the threshold. 

"Good-bye Edward," he says quietly. "Good-bye Bella."  

"Good-bye," Bella whispers. "And Jacob? When we come back... _if_ we come back...don't assume anything."  

Jacob holds her gaze. He seems to be looking for something; perhaps some trace of that human girl he'd once loved. When he retreats down the stairs, the last pieces of her human life go with him. Jacob, the boy who'd taken her motorbike riding and made her laugh at her lowest moments, and kissed her in the cool mountain air.

Bella holds onto that dim human memory until she hears the car roar down the driveway and fade into the distance.

"Ah, would you look at that," Aro says, looking out the window at the sunset. "We must be off. The day has ended and there is work to be done." 

In the kitchen, Demetri pokes at the half-built puzzle, which collapses into scattered pieces. 


End file.
